Idukki: The Devikulam Fast Track Special Court (POCSO) on Monday found three youths guilty in the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl from West Bengal. Judge P Sirajudheen P A will pronounce the quantum of punishment for the accused – Sugand (20) and Sivakumar (21) of Tamil Nadu, and Samuel aka Shyam (21) of Poopara – on Tuesday.
The fourth accused in the case was given the benefit of the doubt and let off by the court. Two other minors accused in the case will undergo trial before the Juvenile Justice Board in Thodupuzha.
Special Public Prosecutor Smiju K Das said the incident occurred on May 29, 2022, at a tea plantation in Poopara and the FIR was registered at Santhapara Police Station. The investigation was headed by Munnar DySP K R Manoj. “The survivor had come to Idukki with her parents, who were in search of a job. On the day of the incident, the girl and her friend, who is a Madhya Pradesh native, had come to the estate. The accused beat up the girl’s friend and threatened to attack him with broken beer bottles. The two minor accused took the friend to another part of the estate,” he added.
According to Smiju, while three accused engaged in the criminal act, the fourth accused stood guard over the area where the crime happened. “The prosecution relied on the medical evidence and witnesses who had seen the gang of youths in the area. There were 24 prosecution witnesses and 43 documents which were presented as evidence. The semen recovered was not enough in quantity to qualify for a DNA test,” said Smiju.
The survivor is presently lodged in a government rescue home. The accused found guilty are daily wage workers. “All the IPC and POCSO sections mentioned in the chargesheet were proven beyond doubt,” he said.
